whirl

[ wurl, hwurl ]

/ wɜrl, ʰwɜrl /

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See synonyms for: whirl / whirled / whirling on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)

to turn around, spin, or rotate rapidly: The merry-go-round whirled noisily.

to turn about or aside quickly: He whirled and faced his pursuers.

to move, travel, or be carried rapidly along: She whirled along the freeway in her new car.

to feel as though spinning rapidly; reel as from dizziness: My head began to whirl.

verb (used with object)

to cause to turn around, spin, or rotate rapidly.

to send, drive, or carry in a circular or curving course.

to drive, send, or carry along with great or dizzying rapidity.

Obsolete. to hurl.

noun

the act of whirling; rapid rotation or gyration.

a whirling movement; quick turn or swing.

a short drive, run, walk, or the like; spin.

something that whirls; a whirling current or mass.

a rapid round of events, affairs, etc.: a whirl of meetings, conferences, and business lunches.

a state marked by dizziness or a dizzying succession of feelings, thoughts, etc.

an attempt or trial, especially one undertaken tentatively or experimentally: Even if you don't agree with my plan, won't you give it a whirl?

Machinery. whip (def. 26).

OTHER WORDS FOR whirl

1 gyrate, pirouette.

5 revolve, twirl, wheel.

9 spin, revolution.

15 try, go, fling, whack.

See synonyms for whirl on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of whirl

1250–1300; Middle English whirlen<Old Norse hvirfla to whirl, akin to Old English hwyrflung turning, revolving, hwyrfel circuit; see whorl

OTHER WORDS FROM whirl

whirl·er, nounwhirl·ing·ly, adverbout·whirl, verb (used with object)un·whirled, adjective

Words nearby whirl

whip-tailed ray, whiptail wallaby, whip up, whipworm, whir, whirl, whirlabout, whirligig, whirligig beetle, whirling dervish, whirlpool

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use whirl in a sentence

Viewers are surrounded by a whirl of images in which it’s impossible to distinguish real from unreal.
This NFT Painting Is a Work of Art - Issue 104: Harmony|Arthur I. Miller|August 18, 2021|Nautilus
I think within the next 10 years, we ought to be able to predict where fire whirls are likely to form.
What’s Fueling Today’s Extreme Fires - Issue 104: Harmony|Dan Falk|August 4, 2021|Nautilus
It was a giant fire whirl with winds over 100 miles per hour.
What’s Fueling Today’s Extreme Fires - Issue 104: Harmony|Dan Falk|August 4, 2021|Nautilus
Cambage is a whirl of drop-steps, shoulder shoves and jump hooks, her 6-foot-8 frame affording her whatever space she requires.
A’ja Wilson had a rebirth, Liz Cambage is healthy, and Las Vegas is among the WNBA favorites|Robert O'Connell|May 13, 2021|Washington Post

It all makes sense in the whirl of Ide’s fate-driven universe.
Joe Ide’s IQ series continues with the idiosyncratic marvel ‘Smoke’|Maureen Corrigan|February 26, 2021|Washington Post
The dying are deceived by the chemical whirl of “a dying brain.”
Eben Alexander Has a GPS for Heaven|Patricia Pearson|October 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I never lifted a brush before, I never mixed a paint, so I gave it a whirl.
Dubya’s Portraits of Tony Blair and Vladimir Putin Are Just as Genius as You Hoped|Ann Binlot|April 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A whirl of activity on and off the slopes, Kathy heads the local chapter of Disabled Sports, Eastern Sierra region.
Homefront Veterans: Skiing With Wounded Warriors|John Kael Weston|February 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Ted Widmer on the whirl of celebrity and policy that dance across the pages.
The Man with the President’s Ear, Arthur Schlesinger Jr. and JFK|Ted Widmer|October 27, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Sajed fearlessly slapped on the rollerblades to give them a whirl, and a skater was born.
If You Build It, They Will Skate|Maysoon Zayid|July 17, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Then dawn flung itself impetuously across the hills, and the naked rim of the canyon took form in a shifting whirl of smoke.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
They are, however, much less energetic, and often of greater size than the hurricane whirl.
Outlines of the Earth's History|Nathaniel Southgate Shaler
They could revel in the rugged measures of ‘Marmion,’ in the whirl and clatter of the ‘Last Minstrel.’
A Cursory History of Swearing|Julian Sharman
Fragments were spun off the whirl of people, bits of BSG uniforms torn off their wearers and tossed like confetti.
The Great Potlatch Riots|Allen Kim Lang
Her life at this time was a whirl of excitement—excitement of the keenest order—namely, trying on.
With Edged Tools|Henry Seton Merriman

British Dictionary definitions for whirl

whirl

/ (wɜːl) /

verb

to spin, turn, or revolve or cause to spin, turn, or revolve

(intr) to turn around or away rapidly

(intr) to have a spinning sensation, as from dizziness, etc

to move or drive or be moved or driven at high speed

noun

the act or an instance of whirling; swift rotation or a rapid whirling movement

a condition of confusion or giddinessher accident left me in a whirl

a swift round, as of events, meetings, etc

a tumult; stir

informal a brief trip, dance, etc

give something a whirl informal to attempt or give a trial to something

Derived forms of whirl

whirler, nounwhirling, adjectivewhirlingly, adverb

Word Origin for whirl

C13: from Old Norse hvirfla to turn about; related to Old High German wirbil whirlwind

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with whirl

whirl

see give something a whirl.

whirl

OTHER WORDS FOR whirl

Origin of whirl

OTHER WORDS FROM whirl

Words nearby whirl

Words related to whirl

How to use whirl in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for whirl

Derived forms of whirl

Word Origin for whirl

Other Idioms and Phrases with whirl